Ladies&#39; bathing suits



June 11, 1957 M. ANDERSON LADIES BATHING SUITS Filed Feb. 15, 1957INVENTOR M 1:10 Anderson BY 4Z0 W1 aw ATTORNEYS United States PatentLADIES BATHING SUITS Milo Anderson, Hollywood, Calif., assignor toCatalina, Inc., a corporation of California The present inventionrelates to ladies bathing suits.

It is among the objects of the invention to provide a ladies step-inbathing suit, comprising a bodice and a trunk, which bodice affordssufficient yield to admit of drawing the same over the hips and thusdispenses with the need for the conventional slide fastener which isespecially diificult for the wearer to manipulate, particularly with ahigh back bathing suit, and the substantial yield of which bodice forsuch purpose is effected without detracting from, but on thecontrary,substantially enhancing the allure of the back of the gann ent'in wearand which garment lends itself to any desired style effect, ranging fromthe simple to the highly styled.

In the accompanying drawings in which is shown one of various possibleembodiments of the several features of the invention,

Fig. l is a front perspective view of the bathing suit in wear,

Fig. 2 is a rear perspective view thereof,

Fig. 3 is a detail view in longitudinal cross-section, taken on line 33of Fig. 2,

Fig. 4 is a transverse fragmentary cross-section taken on line 44 ofFig. 2, and

Fig. 5 is a detail sectional longitudinal view taken on line 5-5 of Fig.2.

Referring now to the drawings, the bathing suit is essentially of wovenfabric that has substantial elasticity transversely thereof. It ispreferably of elasticized faille, the filler of which is of conventionalfabric covered elastic thread. The fabric need have little or noelasticity longitudinally of the garment.

The garment in common with ladies step-in bathing suits of conventionalconstruction, has a main structure S, best shown in Fig. 1. That mainstructure may be of an integral piece of fabric but preferably comprisesa front panel 10, to the lateral edges 11 of which are stitched sidefront panels 12, to the outer edges of which panels 12 are in turnstitched side back panels 13. The panels 10, 12 and 13 are conjointlydesignated as the bodice portion or main structure S.

The bathing suit has a rear panel 16, stitched laterally as at 17 to theupright edges of the main structure S, in the preferred construction tothe edges of the side back panels 13 of said structure. The lowerportion of said rear panel 16 constitutes the back of the trunk, whichincludes the usual crotch portion (not shown), which in connection withthe lower edges of the panels 10, 12 and 13 forms the leg openings.

The garment may have a suitable brassiere conformation at the front,suggested at 18, and may be supported in any conventional way as byshoulder straps 19 or by resort to a wired brassiere, or in otherfamiliar manner.

The garment as thus far described does not per se involve my inventionand is substantially conventional.

My invention resides in the elastic back conformation now to bedescribed. That conformation comprises a pair of wide obliquely crossedstraps, i. e., an inner strap 20 and an outer strap 21, each of fabricpreferably the same Patented June 11,1957

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as the fabric of the main structure S. Each strap is desirably ofrhomboid shape. It maybe in the order of 4 inches wide with its obliqueends in the order of 5 inches long, the latter stitched as at 23, to theupright edges of the main structure S and specifically to the outeredges of the side back panels 13. Essentially the entire width of theouter strap 21 at one end, illustratively the left end, as shown,extends directly above substantially the entire width of thecorresponding end of the inner strap 20. Similarly, essentially theentire width of the outer strap 21 at the other or right end, extendsdirectly below substantially the entire width of the corresponding orright end of the inner panel 20. Preferably, as shown, there is someoverlap between the ends of the two crossed over straps 20 and 21 ateach end to avoid exposure of the body therebetween. The back portion ofthe garment including the crossed bands 20 and 21, extends well abovethe waist line substantially in excess of three inches and may, as shownin the drawings, extend even to near the arm pits for a high-backbathing suit. Desirably, the same stitching by which the straps 20 and21 are affixed to the rest of the garment also attach the sheathed stays22 in position at the edges of the side back panels 13. v I

The lower edge of the inner strap 20 is stitched longitudinally thereof,as at 26, along part and preferably along the entire length of the rearpanel 16. Desirably as shown, that upper edge of .the rear panel 16 iscut obliquely, as shown, to extend along the oblique lower edge of strap20, stitched thereto as previously stated, as at 26.

For adequate strength and body, each of the straps 20 and 21 ispreferably of flat tubular form so that it involves a double ply of theelastic fabric.

Desirably the inner strap 20 is of a piece of fabric approximatelydouble the width of the strap, reversely folded at its upper edge 20'with its superposed lower edges conjointly stitched at seam 26 to theupper oblique edge of the rear panel 16.

The outer strap 21, both of the lateral edges of which are free, ispreferably also of a width of fabric substantially double the width ofthe strap, the infolded edges of the fabric being stitched together asat 24 at the rear face of the flat tubular strap 21.

Desirably the downwardly extending end portion of each of the straps isgathered or shirred at its outer or exposed face only, as at 25, forornamental effect, while the inner or concealed face of the double plystrap is not gathered or shirred to avoid the possibility of discomfortor excessive fullness.

To don the garment, the wearer steps in and pulls it upwardly, in whichoperation greatly enhanced yield is afforded by the obliquely extendingcrossed over longitudinally elastic straps 20 and 21 at the rear, whichreadily stretch to extent adequate, in conjunction with the transverseelasticity of the garment, to permit drawing the bodice and closed backover the hips and as the bodice reaches the position of wear, thestretched straps 20 and 21 will resiliently return, snugly to fitagainst the back of the wearer.

Thus the garment dispenses with the conventional slide fastener and thesubstantial impossibility of the unaided average wearer manipulating thesame, especially in the case of a high back bathing suit. Yet, as bestshown in Fig. 2, the garment, which is completely closed peripherally,fits along the back, whether a relatively low or a high back, with adecidedly ornamental and attractive effect.

As changes could be made in the above construction, and differentembodiments of this invention could be made without departing from thescope of the claims, it is intended that all matter contained in theabove description or shown in the accompanying drawings, shall beinterpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire tosecure by Letters Patent of the United States is:

1. A ladies"step-in' bathing suit essentially of transversely elastic,woven fabric of considerably less elasticity longitudinally thereof,said bathing suit comprisinga front bodice portion, having upright sideedges and a lower front trunk covering portion and a rear panel,thelower portion of the rear panel constituting the back trunk portionthe upper. edge of said rear panel extending at least in part above thewaistline, an inner obliquely extending elastic strap stitched at itslower edge tothe upper edge portion of the rear panel, said edgeextending in a correspondingly oblique direction, said elastic strapbeing stitched at its ends along the substantially upright edges of thefront bodice portion, and an outer elastic strap extending obliquely ofand crossed over the inner elastic strap, symmetrically with respectthereto and stitched at one end, essentially at a level higher than thecorresponding lower end of the inner strap and at its opposite endessentially at a level lower than the corresponding upper end of theinner strap, whereby the obliquely extending straps afford adequateyield of the transversely elastic garment to permit drawing the sameover the hips.

2. The combination recited in claim 1, in'which the straps are of thesame woven fabric as substantially the rest of the bathing suit and saidstraps constitute the upper back portion of the bathing suit.

3. The combination recited in claim 1, in which each of the two crossedover straps is of flat tubular form and 4 i. in which the conventionallongitudinal stays at the side edges of the rear panel extend along thefull length of the ends of the tubular straps.

4. The combination recited in claim 1, in which said inner strap is offlat tubular construction comprising fabric of substantially twice thewidth of the strap, said fabric having a longitudinal fold atits upperedge, the superposed otherwise free lower edges thereof being stitchedconjointly to the upper edge portion of the rear panel.

5. The combination recited in claim 1, in which the outer of the strapsconsists'of a flat tubular piece of longitudinally elastic fabric,substantially double the width of the strap, having a plain exposedface, the upper and lower portions of said piece being infolded andlongitudinally stitched together along the length of the strap.

6. The combination recited in claim 1, in which each of the bands is aflat tubular longitudinally elastic piece, in which the rear orconcealed fiat portion of the tube is substantially fiat and in whichthe outer face of the flat tube is shirred along the lower end thereof.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS2,266,518 Sarge Dec. 16, 1941 2,431,505 Reid Nov. 25, 1947 2,497,938Friedman Feb. 21, 1950 2,553,301 Colby May 15, 1951 2,613,357Christensen Oct. 14, 1952

